Age-Specific Clinical Biomarker Ranges in Acute Head Injury, Non-TBI Trauma, and Healthy Control Subjects in the...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Blood-based biomarkers are vital for diagnosing traumatic brain injury (TBI).
• Age-related neurological changes can affect biomarker interpretation.
• Understanding the interplay between age and TBI is critical for diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the relative impact of age versus TBI on specific biomarker concentrations.
• To determine if age-related biomarker variations approach or surpass injury-related changes.
• To inform the development of age-adjusted TBI diagnostic algorithms.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of serum biomarkers from 762 adults across control and mild TBI groups.
• Biomarkers measured: GFAP, BDNF, NRGN, SNCA, ST2, and vWF.
• Statistical analysis included two-way ANOVA and Cohen's f to assess age and injury effects.

Main Results:

• Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) showed significant age-related increases, often exceeding TBI effects.
• Other biomarkers like SNCA and BDNF also demonstrated age-related influences or interactions.
• Neurogranin (NRGN) and ST2 showed minimal or complex age-related effects.

Conclusions:

• Age significantly influences key TBI biomarkers, particularly GFAP and vWF.
• Failure to account for age in diagnostic algorithms may lead to misclassification, especially in older adults.
• Age-normalized interpretation of biomarkers is essential for reliable TBI diagnosis.